Conrad Demarest Model of Empire: Comparing Classical Era Empires
Characteristics
Necessary Preconditions
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State-level gov’t
Agriculture
Environmental mosaic
Power vacuum
Mutual antagonisms
Military/tech resources
Roman Empire
(1000 BCE – 476 CE)
Results/Rewards of empire:
 Economic rewards
 Relative stability and prosperity
 Population increase
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Republic (509 BCE)
Wheat, grapes, cattle
Central location in the Mediterranean basin
provided launching pad for empire
Other city-states in central Italy competed
for power; wealthy and resource rich states
in Mediterranean region (Greece, Egypt,
Spain, Carthage, etc.)
Peasant soldiers, naval power, inexhaustible
population for army
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Cult of the emperor
Christianity (4th c. CE)
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Large public works (roads, bridges,
aqueducts, canals, protective walls, etc.)
Long-distance trade increased
Rome was a city of over 1 million
Latin language broke into different dialects
(Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French)
Elaborate body of law
Citizenship provided right to hold public
office, serve in legion, wear a toga, etc.
Citizenship led to recognition of place in
society (gov’t & military positions of
leadership)
Opportunities for merchants
Roman-style urbanism
Pax Romana
Population increase as new lands were
conquered
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Fall of empire:
 Failure of leadership
 Expansion beyond a practical limit
 Lack of new conquests erodes
 economic base and lessens faith in
ideology that supported the empire
 Rebellions from within/ challenges
from without
Maurya / Gupta India
(600 BCE – 550 CE)
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Ideology that promotes personal
identification with the state, empire,
leader, conquest, and/or militarism
Han China
(206 BCE – 220 CE)
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High turnover rate of Roman emperors
Excessive size, overextension, too expensive
for available resources
Tax evasion by large landowning families
placed burden on poor
Military service declined; foreigners
recruited for army; border security
neglected
Rebellions by Germanic tribes on the frontier
(ex. Huns)
No large scale imperial system has ever been
created again in W. Europe since
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Fragmented collections of towns & cities (small
republics & regional monarchies)
Sesame, eggplant, rice, humped cattle
Himalaya Mtns., Khyber Pass, Ganges R.,
monsoons
Variety of peoples migrated from Central Asia (vast
cultural diversity)
Had been ruled before by Persians & Alexander
the Great
Chariot technology, war elephants, population
inexhaustible (50 million)
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Emperor worship (“Son of Heaven”)
Mandate of Heaven
Confucianism (est. guidelines for moral
behavior & good gov’t)
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Hinduism
Caste system
Buddhism (under Ashoka)
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Large landed estates for supporters
Expansion of established cities
New capital (Luoyang)
Storehouses of food when supplies fell
Population increased as new land was
colonized by farmers.
Chinese silk & other items traded extensively
on Silk Road network
Conquered people became “Chinese”
through intermarriage
Chinese written language ensured every
different cultural group could communicate
across the empire
Large bureaucracy created with Confucian
scholar-bureaucrats
Civil service system established that
awarded positions based on merits (had to
pass difficult exams)
Court officials (eunuchs) vs. Confucian
scholar bureaucrats
Excessive size, overextension, too expensive
for available resources
Tax evasion by large landowning families
placed burden on poor (ex. Yellow Turban
Rebellion 184 CE)
Military service declined; foreigners
recruited for army; border security
neglected
Rebellions by nomadic tribes on the frontier
(ex. Xiongnu)
350 yrs. of disorder then creation of new
imperial state (Sui, Tang, & Song)
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Thriving industries – spinning, weaving, mining,
shipbuilding, & armaments
Vibrant economy made India focal point in Indian
Ocean trade network
Cotton textile industry supplied cloth to AfroEurasian world
Strong guilds of merchants & artisans patronized
arts & architecture
Lavish temples, public buildings, & religious
festivals patronized by guilds
Focal point of extensive trade network in Indian
Ocean basin
Ashoka’s Buddhist Edicts
Hindu & Buddhist traditions that later penetrated
much of Asia
Impressive mathematics and science (astronomy)
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Qin centralized gov’t kept in place (Legalism
as governing philosophy)
Wheat, millet, pigs
Tianshan Mtns., Yellow & Yangtze R. (loess
soil), Pacific Ocean
Warring states emerged before Qin
unification
Peasant soldiers; iron weapons;
inexhaustible population
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India’s cultural diversity made it difficult for
imperial states to command the kind of loyalty
provided in Rome or Han China
Caste system made for intensely local loyalties at
the expense of wider identities
Frequency of invasions from Central Asia smashed
states that could have been nucleus for an all-India
empire